Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Geraldine Moriba Named Executive Producer of CNN's "In America" Franchise

CNN Press Release - Award-winning producer Geraldine Moriba has been named executive producer of CNN's "In America" unit, the network's newly created division, which will extend the “In America” franchise anchored by Soledad O’Brien. The announcement was made today by Bart Feder, senior vice president for current programming, CNN/U.S.

With more than 20 years of journalism experience, Moriba will be responsible for leading the editorial direction of the "In America" unit, working with CNN anchor and special correspondentSoledad O'Brien and a team of producers, generating “In America” series which will run within CNN's weekday programming, as well as long form primetime documentaries.

"Geraldine is a fantastic choice to lead the ‘In America’ unit in its reporting on communities across America,” said Feder. "Her years of award-winning production work and management experience give her the background to expand CNN’s commitment to long form journalism that reflects all aspects of the American experience.”

Moriba comes to CNN after 16 years at NBC News, where for 12 years, she served as a producer for Dateline NBC. Most recently she has served as senior producer for Broadcast Standards, monitoring news reports on all NBC News platforms. During this time, Moriba also served as an executive and senior producer on various multiplatform projects including: Obama’s America 2010 with Chris Matthews and Tom Joyner, an MSNBC special town hall on race; About Our Children with Bill Cosby, a two-hour MSNBC special on education; Making Your Vote Count, an election unit covering election fraud and irregularities in the 2008 elections; and the critically acclaimed Father’s Promise with Al Roker and Tiki Barber about the crisis of absent African American fathers. While at Dateline NBC, she produced numerous breaking news reports, as well as an investigative report on a NYC Child Services, various 9-11 stories, and an in-depth report tracing the lives of students in a 1982 fourth grade class photo to determine the impact of crime, poverty and broken homes.

Said Moriba, "It is an honor to join CNN and the “In America” team. I’m excited as I realize the magnitude of CNN's field of vision, and my mission is to continue CNN’s tradition of telling underreported news stories first. I hope to raise the bar by delivering even more untold stories from underrepresented communities in new and innovative ways.”

While at NBC News, Moriba was appointed a prestigious Visiting Ferris Professorship of Journalism position at Princeton University. During her tenure she developed and taught a seminar on how to use digital journalism skills to get more untold stories on the air. She was also the co-chair for NBC News’ Diversity Committee developing diversity programs to support leadership development and diverse content across NBC News programming.

Before joining NBC, Moriba was a researcher at ABC’s PrimeTime Live. She was also a producer for As It Happens, the news and current affairs broadcast of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Radio Canada, covering stories ranging from the LA Riots to the Gulf War.

Moriba has won five Emmy Awards, including most recently in September 2009 for Outstanding Coverage for a Breaking News Story Long Form, NBC News Decision 2008 Election Night. She’s won a Peabody Award for a Tom Brokaw special report she produced on the Supreme Court case against the University of Michigan’s affirmative action admissions policy. She has also received an Alfred I. DuPont, the National Association of Black Journalists First Place Award, two New York Association of Black Journalists Documentary Awards, the Radio-Television News Directors Association First Place Unity Diversity Award, the Newswomen’s New York Front Page News Feature Award, the US Films Video Festival Silver Screen Award, two National Headliner Awards, the “Chris” Award of the Columbus International Film and Video Festival, a New York Film Festival Finalist Award and a Nancy Susan Reynolds Informational Documentary Finalist Award.

Moriba received her honors bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Women’s Studies from the University of Western Ontario. She is married with two children. The second of four children, Moriba grew up in Toronto, Canada.

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.

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Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Scott Zamost to Join CNN’s Investigative Team in Atlanta

CNN Pressroom - Award-Winning Producer to Contribute to Special Investigations Unit, CNN Presents, Other Programs

Scott Zamost, an investigative journalist who has won nearly every major broadcast journalism award for his hard-hitting reports, has joined CNN as an investigative producer, it was announced today by Mark Nelson, vice president and senior executive producer of CNN Productions. Zamost will be based at the network’s world headquarters in Atlanta.

“For more than 15 years, Scott has maintained a reputation as one of the most astute and accomplished investigative journalists in the country,” Nelson said. “So when we learned that he was seeking new opportunities to expand his investigative efforts, we were not surprised that many networks and news stations actively sought him out. I’m pleased to say we won.”

“Investigative reporting has been my passion and the root of my journalistic endeavors for many years,” Zamost said. “I’m honored to join CNN as it expands its enterprise reporting efforts and have the opportunity to take my investigations to a national and global level.”

Zamost most recently was the investigative producer for WTVJ-TV/NBC 6 in Miami where his stories received national attention. Among his investigations were “Citizenship For Sale,” which revealed how illegal immigrants traveled to Florida to purchase Indian tribe memberships with the promise they could stay in the United States, and “Selling Innocence” about how parents were exploiting their own children as child models online.

Prior to WTVJ-TV/NBC 6, Zamost was an investigative producer for WPLG-TV in Miami and a producer for CBS News in New York. Before his broadcast journalism career, Zamost was a reporter and gaming editor at the Las Vegas Sun and a contributing editor to Las Vegan Magazine. He also worked as a reporter, columnist and assistant editor at the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale.

His awards include a national award from Investigative Reporters and Editors and a National Press Club award in 2007; two National Clarion awards for investigative reporting; four Edward R. Murrow awards; three National Headliner awards; numerous state, regional and national awards from the Associated Press and the Society of Professional Journalists and 23 Emmy awards and 43 Emmy nominations.

Zamost received his bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.

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CNN Launches 2008 Broken Government Series as Campaign Year Heats Up

CNN Pressroom - ‘Critical Condition’ Installment Reveals Gaps in Health Care Coverage in U.S., Examines Debate over Issue

CNN Productions plans to produce a series of one-hour documentaries in 2008 under its successful Broken Government brand. As it did in the 2006 midterm election, the series seeks to offer clarity to the political topics receiving close attention during the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign.

The first documentary in the series, Broken Government: Health Care Critical Condition, is reported by CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Critical Condition will premiere on Thursday, Jan. 31, at 11 p.m., immediately following the CNN/Los Angeles Times/POLITICO Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate and will replay on Saturday, Feb. 2, and Sunday, Feb. 3, at 11 p.m. All times Eastern.

In Critical Condition, Gupta focuses on the gaps in health care coverage experienced by the more than 45 million Americans who lack adequate health insurance. These include consumers with health insurance still vulnerable to bankruptcy by medical bills and the uninsured who cannot afford healthcare. Gupta also examines various health care plan proposals and the pros and cons of universal health care coverage in other countries.

Other Broken Government documentaries in the 2008 series will feature CNN’s Rick Sanchez taking an in-depth look at inconsistent and ineffective U.S. immigration policies; chief technology and environment correspondent Miles O’Brien investigating the impact of government policies on the environment; and a documentary on the government failures at the federal, state and local levels that continue to plague those impacted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Additional programs in the series will be announced later in the campaign season.

Carol Kinstle is the executive producer and the director of CNN’s health and medical unit. Mark Nelson is the vice president and senior executive producer of CNN Productions.

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.

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